No Way Out
by SarahSwifty13
Summary: Sequel to my one-shot 'Enchanted to Meet You'. Ally's claustrophobia returns when she gets trapped in an elevator with Austin Moon. Enjoy and please review!


**No Way Out- Sequel to Enchanted to Meet You**

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally by Disney.

….

Ally squinted her eyes yet again at the screen. She heaved a sigh of relief when the address reflected in her phone matched the rusty bronze sign on the red, half-brick wall in front of her. The overgrown vines and creepers slid and curled around the sign, hiding the faded letters.

She slid the phone snugly back into her jean pocket and entered the compound. _"The gardeners' have been lazy_," Ally thought, surveying the overgrown hedges and uneven shrubs. Weeds pushed through the sea of green, overshadowing the neglected flora. ''Hmmm… Maybe I should volunteer to tend the garden… After all, I'm qualified enough,'' Ally mused, recalling the time she had offered to mow Dallas' lawn for him, and ended up mowing every lawn on his block. She just had too. She felt bad that his lawn looked better than the rest. *

It was Friday afternoon and Ally, having already completed her history report, agreed to babysit Cassidy's eight year old twins, after seeing her struggle for the past week, juggling between odd jobs. She first met Cassidy at the melody diner, where her cousin, Trish, was hired. A single mother, Cassidy had arrived in Miami not too long ago with her two kids in tow, hoping to start afresh.

Ally stood in front of the old apartment building, silently humming to herself as she waited for the elevator. It had been a while since her last babysitting job, and Ally could not help wondering how the evening will turn out. The elevator was sure taking its time.

"Ding!" The doors to the elevator slid open thunderously, causing Ally to wince. Adjusting her sling bag, she hit the button that indicated the 13th floor and leaned back against the cool metal wall. Just as the doors were about to shut, they suddenly parted, the elevator rumbling loudly in protest.

"Hey, wait!" A melodious, silky voice resonated through the elevator. Ally launched forward to press the button to hold the lift, and the doors slid open, revealing a blonde carrying a charcoal black guitar case.

Like a strong gust of wind, everything came rushing back in that instant.

She knew that voice sounded familiar. That voice that had been messing around in her brain since it first reached her ears. And those mesmerizing and piercing eyes that bored into hers- she knew it all too well. The charming smile that lit his face like a child's on Christmas day brought it all back. In that moment, Ally felt like she was transported back to their first meeting, at least three months ago, at Trish's Mum's New Years masquerade party.

It had been a while, but if anything time has done was that it took its sweet time erasing the masterpiece in front of her from her memory. Time had been good to him. He was slightly tanner than before, and much more masculine. The yellow shirt he was wearing clung to his skin from the humidity, only serving to highlight his muscular figure. And if it was possible, he had grown even taller. If the two stood side by side, Ally would only come up to his shoulders.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused that the petite brunette was so obviously staring at him. Well, two can play at that game. Austin returned the intensity of her gaze. The elevator doors sealed shut and silence enveloped them.

"There is no way you can out-stare me, you know. Ally Dawson, right?" Austin asked, chuckling as his voice made her jump. Ally's eyes dropped to her sneakers immediately, her cheeks flaming.

"Oh my stars, he remembers my name!"

"Yes, I do." Austin replied, stifling his laughter.

Ally's eyes widen in horror. Had she said that out loud? Darn! Darn his charm and gorgeousness. She laughed uncomfortably, trying to hide her embarrassment. Hesitantly, Ally allowed herself a glance at him. He was still staring at her, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. Quickly, she focused her vision on the elevator buttons in front of her. It was then that she realized he did not press any button.

"Same floor, Austin Moon?" Ally inquired, her voice coming out softer than she had hoped. She cleared her throat and whirled around to face him, almost bumping into Austin in the process. Since when was he standing this close?

"Yep, what are you doing in this part of the neighborhood?"

"Babysitting for a friend. I take it you live here?" Ally asked, frowning at the elevator's snail's pace. Not only was the lighting dim, the elevator was making queer, loud grumbles as it ascended. How old was this thing?

As if having heard Ally's complaints, the elevator let out an awful groan and shook so violently, both of them grabbed onto the handrail by the wall. Trembling and screeching, the ancient elevator finally came to an ear-splitting halt. Darkness enveloped the two momentarily before a pale, white light flickered above.

Ally thought that the chances of ever seeing Austin Moon again was really slim, but the fact that she was trapped in an elevator with him, well, what is Fate up to?

Ally's heart was beating a mile a minute. She was almost certain it was audible in the tension-filled silence. Her knuckles were taut from her tight grip on the handrails and she was as still as a statue. She looked over to the other side of elevator, expecting Austin to mirror her.

Austin's shoulders visibly relaxed after a few seconds. The flashing red number above the elevator door read that they were stuck on the 10th floor. He loosened his hand on the handrail and, keeping his eyes on Ally, proceeded to press the alarm button for help, sending an annoyingly loud ringing into the air.

Ally winced, putting a hand to her chest.

"Are you alright?" Austin asked, worry evident in his voice. "Don't worry, help is on the way," he added, seeing as Ally remained motionless.

Ally nodded weakly, willing herself to calm down. "I'm fine. Is this the first time the elevator broke down?"

Austin shook his head, "it broke down two weeks ago. Maintenance isn't too good in this building." He shrugged, leaning his guitar case against a corner.

Ally kept her eye on the door, waiting anxiously for it to magically slide open. She hoped she would make it out in time for her babysitting.

"_What if I'm trapped? Who would cook dinner for the twins? What if one of them meets with an accident? What will Cassidy think? No! I must get out of here as soon as possible!" _Ally furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, pacing around the limited space.

Austin watched the brunette silently before whipping out his phone. No signal.

As Ally continued pacing, she felt her chest constrict. Sweat beaded her temples and her steps quickened. She balled her fists, clenching them so tightly her nails dug into her palm. Ally took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

"_7…6…5…" Trish's voice floated down the hallway. Ally ran as fast as her feet could carry her, scanning for possible hiding spots. "Ready or not, here I come!" Trish announced enthusiastically and Ally raced up the spiral staircase and hastily shut herself into the nearest room. It was her cousin's seventh birthday party and they were playing hide-and-seek. Trish's mansion was always a good place for such games._

_Ally steadied herself, trying to catch her breath. She remained quiet for a few minutes, mentally applauding herself for her good hiding spot. The little girl strained her eyes through the darkness and stretched her hands out in front of her, feeling her way around for a light switch. She wandered around in the darkness like a blind mouse, her heart palpitating wildly in her ribcage. Occasionally, she would bump into something soft. She recognized the smell of fresh laundry and leather. She must be in one of Aunt Andrea's many walk-in closets. _

_Where were the lights? Her little heart was fluttering madly in her chest. Something caught her foot and she landed on the carpet, face first. "Trish will never find me here.'' Ally whispered to herself. _

_She was right._

_After what seemed like an eternity, the brunette decided to quit the game and felt her way around for the door. Finally, her hand found the cold brass handle and she gave it a twist. It was stuck. She tried again, jiggling it madly, only starting to shout ''Hello? Anyone out there? Please help!" when the knob refused to budge. _

_Her pleas became louder with each passing second and her knocking increased rapidly. Silence answered her. Her sobs were building up and she tried her absolute best to force the tears back to their native spring, but hysteria and fear was flooding her being. Her cries turned to choked sobs. "Trish! Please find me! I give up. I don't want to play this game anymore.'' _

_She had no clue how long she had been huddled in a ball by the door, waiting. Trish's mansion was gargantuan, but surely someone would pass this closet, right? _

_Footsteps. She heard footsteps outside. Her throat was hoarse and her muffled cry was barely audible. But she pounded her fists madly, and door knob vibrated. After a few moments, the door was kicked open from the outside, revealing the very surprised butler._

That might have been years ago, but ever since, Ally was haunted by confined spaces. Ally's breathing hitched and she squeezed her eyes shut, rocking back and forth on her heels.

She began mumbling incoherently to herself.

"Ally?" Austin asked, concerned, his eyes never leaving the trembling girl. Worry overwhelmed him and he approached her cautiously. He patted her shoulder hesitantly, repeating in a soothing tone, "Everything's going to be alright. We'll get out soon. I'm here."

"_Somebody, please help me!"_

A small, terror-stricken cry rang in Ally's head. She shook her head, trying to wipe away the nightmare that kept resurfacing.

She could not breathe. Her eyes flew open, tears brimming over as she clutched her chest, heaving heavily, focusing on her uneven, ragged breaths. She felt like she was suffocating. She stumbled to the corner, her vision blurred and her heart pounding in her ears.

"Ally, what's happening? You're scaring me!" Austin reached over to steady her, but Ally swatted away his arms, her knees buckling. She slid down on the floor, gasping, "Claus… Claustrophobic."

Ally felt as if everything was closing in. She felt like a trapped prey, caged in. There was no way out. She was going to die. Nobody was coming. Austin was lying.

Her heart rate was uncontrollable. Ally gasped, struggling to remove her cardigan. A pair of hands helped remove the layer off her. Disoriented, she could barely make out Austin leaving the sweater by her side before proceeding to slam his fists on the door, yelling for help.

Ally was convinced that his efforts were futile. She closed her eyes and pressed herself against the cool metal walls, breathing in and out slowly.

"Hey,'' Austin said tenderly and reached out to hold her hands in his. "Look at me. Look at me Ally. Take deep breaths, come on. Yes. Okay. Everything's going to be fine, trust me. I'm here, okay?"

To be honest, Austin hadn't the slightest clue how to react in a situation like this. He noticed the musical note charm bracelet around her left wrist and an idea popped into his head.

He cleared his throat, and started to hum a calming tune. At first, Ally felt like she was experiencing an out of body experience. But after half an hour, Austin's humming caused her breathing to return to normal and soon, she was drifting in and out.

"_She looks like an angel,''_ He thought, watching the serenity plastered on her face. Gently, he leaned forward and stroked her soft curls. His fingers trailed to her cheeks, then her lips. Ally stirred slightly. His hand shot back instantly. Her next actions stunned him. Semi-conscious, Ally crawled towards Austin and nestled herself into him.

He was not sure what to do. But it seemed as if she melted perfectly into him. Gingerly, he wrapped his strong arms the sleeping girl, embracing her as if she was injured and fragile. For some reason, holding her in his arms never felt more right.

….

Austin noticed the alarm had subsided considerably. He discerned voices outside just before the thunderous and unpleasant sound of metal wrenching resonated throughout the elevator.

"Thank goodness," Austin sighed in relief as the doors shook open and light flowed into the elevator like a river.

….

Ally shot out of bed, the action causing a pounding in her head. Head rush. She wiped her eyes groggily, adjusting to the light pouring through her bedroom window. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a small bouquet of flowers sitting on her bedside table.

Ally picked it up gingerly, inhaling the sweet blossoms of variegated tulips and white violets. Her thoughts were still clouded and she vaguely recalled being in an elevator last. She inspected the lovely flowers and found a phone number carefully written on an anonymous note.

He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

Just like that, her memory returned. Images flashed through her head. The closet at Trish's party, the crying and shouting, the fear, the suffocation, the elevator, the panic, Austin's humming, his hand on her cheek, her crawling into Austin's embrace- realization hit her like a hammer.

At that moment, her emotions were indescribable. All her feelings were jumbled up into one big ball of blah and her mind took her back to that night when they first met. The strange excitement bubbling in her was exactly how she felt that night when she penned the lyrics in her songbook.

Her fingers brushed her lips where she thought she felt his touch and an inexplicable thrill shot down her spine.

Ally Dawson was falling for Austin Moon again, and she knew there was no way out.

….

**A/N: **

***This was from the episode World Records and Work Wreckers!**

**Hello there(: I would like to thank every single one of you that reviewed, followed, favorite or simply read my stories! I hope this sequel to 'Enchanted to Meet You' (if you have not read this, please do!) is not a disappointment. Honestly, I'm not too happy about how this turned out… I might or might not turn this into a multi-chapter. **

**I'm not too sure, but according to the internet, variegated tulips mean 'beautiful eyes' and white violets represent 'let's take a chance'. Also, I hope I have depicted Ally's claustrophobia realistically (sorry if I have failed): )… My limited knowledge on claustrophobia stems from movies and a few websites. **

**Please review! Merry Christmas (:**

**Lovelovelove,**

**SarahSwifty13**


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